Hello my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter!
I know I posted one earlier this week, but a few things; one, this was pretty much done and didn't want to wait for next week, and two, as I stated before, I will be out of town at the end of next month and I want to get as much done before I go.
But this, this is one of my favorite episodes! I know people enjoy this episode too, and I'm so excited to share it with you!
Without any further delay, let's continue our story...
Season 1, episode 11; Sweater Together
Audrey was running through a dark forest. The cold wind brushed by her, leaves crunched under her feet and the feeling of her heart beating harder and harder in her chest. She wasn't sure how she got there, but one thing was certain; she was in grave danger. To make matters worse, the sound of giant footsteps approached, one step at a time.
She then tripped over a log, falling on her stomach and scraping her knee. She ignored it, scrambled to her feet and ran again. She then came to a large oak tree and hid behind it, covering her mouth with her hand and feeling her heart race and her breath very short.
Just then, she heard a loud and terrifying voice boom out in a sing-song tone,
"AUDREY! WHERE ARE YOU?! COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!"
She knew whose voice that belonged too and she didn't want to get caught.
She then carefully peeked out to see how close or far he was and searched for a new hiding spot. She then saw a large rock nearby and wanted to make a run to it. She took one step and-
*SNAP!*
A branch underneath her snapped in two which got his attention.
She slowly looked up and nearly froze in terror. There in front of her was the Devil and his size had changed.
He wasn't big, wasn't large,
He was HUGE! Nearly the size of a planet like Bowser was in Super Mario Galaxy 2.
"AHA! FOUND YOU!" He sneered, with a horrible grin on his face.
"NO! NO!" Audrey screamed. Panicking, she made a run for it, hoping to get as far away from him as possible.
However, she didn't have any luck as he then reached down and grabbed her with his massive claw.
"Ah ah ah, my love! Not so fast!" He taunted as he brought her up to his face. She could practically see her reflection in his eyes and she panicked.
"NO! NO! LET ME GO!" She shouted, struggling to free herself from his grip.
"I think not! You're mine now!" The Devil smirked, rubbing his enormous finger on her head like she was a kitten.
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" She screamed.
"No one can help you this time, my pet." The Devil sneered. "You belong to me, and you shall finally be my queen!"
Cackling evilly, he then teleported himself and Audrey to the throne room of the underworld. Audie saw that he was now in his normal size, holding her in his arms, like a groom holding his bride, as she squirmed.
"Oh, my, oh, my, someone is very fussy." He crooned. "Here, let me help you with that."
Just then, he transformed into his serpent form and wrapped his body around Audrey, trapping her in his coils. She did not like the feel at all, since it was a mix of his scales and fur, which was really unpleasant.
"NO! NO! LET ME GO!" She screamed, her voice cracking a bit.
"No, I won't do anything of the sort. You're so adorable all snug in my hold." He cooed. "And above all, I finally have you right where I want you…" He then leaned down and hissed seductively into her ear;
"...My queen."
Audrey did not like that one bit. She felt a terrible shiver go up her spine and shuddered as he kissed her cheek, before nuzzling his cheek on hers. It was cold to the touch and very unpleasant.
"Dear me, someone's getting restless. No worries, I'm sure you'll come to love it down here, and be much happier with me in time." He informed her, tenderly caressing her cheeks.
"I'm not your queen! I never will be!" Audrey shouted, jerking her head from him.
"Is that so? Well, your marriage contract says otherwise." He remarked.
"M-my what?!" she shuddered.
The Devil snapped his talons, and a parchment appeared in front of her. It then unrolled itself to reveal a horrifying sight; her signature on the dotted line underneath his. She knew that was her handwriting and she became scared.
"Oh no! No! This can't be true!" She whimpered, feeling hot tears sting her eyes.
"Oh, but it issss, my sssweet little rose." He hissed, as Audrey felt him give her a light squeeze. "You are now my blussshing bride, and we will be married within the hour."
"No! NO! NO! I WON'T!" Audrey screamed, tears sliding down her face.
"Oh, don't cry, my ssssweet."
He wiped away her tears before returning into his normal form. She was shaking with fear, her breath was short.
Snapping his talons, Audrey's clothes magically turned into a red, off-shoulder wedding dress with delicate black lace, adorned with red accents and black lacework with a mesmerizing rose pattern. There was crimson red satin sash tied around her waist into a perfect bow, the skirt flowed seamlessly from the waist, creating a sleek and slightly silhouette.
Along the hemline of the skirt, there's an intricate border of black embroidery, forming delicate swirls and floral motifs, becoming more pronounced as they reach the bottom of the dress.
Audrey also noticed she wore dark, romantic makeup with a bold red lipstick, as well as a black lacy veil, a golden tiara on her head and her hair was in a sleek chignon with a golden rose clip.
The Devil's appearance changed as well. He wore a black suit with a red bow tie and a purple cloak. He additionally wore a gold crown on his head and the most horrible grin on his face.
Before she could react, he took her into his arms and cupped her chin, staring deeply into her terrified eyes.
"Now, how about you give your dashing husband-to-be a little kiss?" He sneered, his tone very lustful.
"No! NO! NO! LET ME GO! PLEASE!" Audrey screamed, squirming in his grip. However, he held her tight and wasn't planning on letting her go.
He then leaned down, lips puckered and was ready to kiss her when-
"Audrey! Wake up!"
Audrey woke up with a start, sitting up in bed, panting and feeling sweat roll down her forehead. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Once she saw she was in the guest room, she calmed down and felt her heartbeat slow down.
Josh turned to his side and switched on the lamp, before holding Audrey in a hug.
"You ok? You were screaming so loud." He informed her, rubbing her back.
"Y-yeah, I-I just had a nightmare." She trembled. "He-he had me in his grip, and-and showed me a signed marriage contract."
"Oh, that's super creepy." Josh agreed. "But, the good news is you're safe and he won't be getting you. Not as long as I'm around."
Audrey gave a weak smile. She appreciated Josh wanting to help out, especially dealing with creeps like the Devil.
After a bit of calming down, she gave him a kiss and the two were about to go back to sleep when suddenly they heard Cuphead cry out in terror.
"AHH-I ain't too worried about it!"
"Sheesh! That scared me." Josh gasped. "What's going on?"
"I dunno, but I'm going to check." Audrey informed Josh. "You can go back to sleep. I'll be back in a second."
Josh wanted to help, but Audie slipped off the bed, threw on her bathrobe and rushed out before he could say anything.
Audrey skidded down the hallway until she came into the boy's bedroom. It was an average size room with light brown flooring and light purple paint on the wall. The room additionally had various toys and books near a small toy chest, many posters on the walls, a dresser, door that led to a closet, a small window with a toy soldier near it.
There were two open brown doors that revealed the bunk-bed they were in, with red and blue comforters.
Cuphead, who was trying to catch his breath and had a terrified look on his face, was on the bottom wearing red onesie pajamas while Mugman, who was looking down annoyed, was on the top, wearing blue onesie pajamas.
"Oh, honey! Are you ok?" Audrey asked as she rushed over and sat on the edge of Cuphead's bed.
"Let me guess, you had the dream again, didn't you?" Mugman asked, annoyed.
"Again?" Audrey repeated. "You've had this dream more than once?"
"It's not a huge deal." Cuphead protested. "It's just a dream, nothin' more."
Mugman sighed in annoyance and informed Audrey "He's been having a nightmare of a monster taking me, Elder Kettle turned to dust and suddenly the goat appeared, only for it to be the Devil, who then takes his soul and has you in his grip."
"Oh, Cuphead. I'm so sorry you had that nightmare." Audrey sighed as she rubbed his back. "It can be very scary, no doubt about that."
"Guys, I'm telling ya, it's nothing." Cuphead sheepishly replied, tucking himself back under the covers. "The Devil probably has a huge operation to run. He's not worried about little old me…"
While Audrey wanted to believe that, she knew that even the smallest mention of Cuphead or herself to the Devil would cause him to have a very unhealthy desire to hunt them down.
Before Cuphead could go back to sleep, Mugman slipped off his bed and announced in an annoyed tone "That's it! Let's go!"
As Mugman dug through the dresser, Cuphead asked Where? It's the middle of the night!"
Mugman then threw his brother's clothes at him as he proceeded to put his on.
"We're dealing with this Devil thing once and for all!" Mugman announced as Cuphead dressed quickly. "Come on! And Miss Audrey, I think it's best you come as well. We need to find a way to get you and Josh back home."
"Oh, uh, ok." Audrey replied. "I need to change as well, but I'll meet you guys at the door."
Mugman nodded and as Audrey left, Cuphead protested
"This is crazy! What do we-"
"Trust me Cuphead. This one time, can you just trust me?" He asked calmly, placing his hands on his shoulders.
Cuphead looked at his brother and knew he was serious about this. As they headed to the front door, Audrey rushed back into the guest room, Josh was fast asleep once more, and headed to the dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans, hoodie, belt and shoes. She quickly changed, grabbed her shoulder bag and headed down stairs.
The boys were waiting by the front door and once they saw her, they headed out into the night. Cuphead was a bit more jumpy, as Audrey witnessed him getting scared by the goat sleeping peacefully in the front. So, she gently grasped his hand and continued to follow Mugman.
"I hope we can help Cuphead." Audrey thought. "Who knows what the Devil could be planning at this point."
Meanwhile, in the underworld, the Devil, along with Henchman, Bash and Shriek, were following an imp to the main control area, where many other imps, each wearing headphones, were working, reading various charts, and handing various papers to each other. The location had different machines, monitors and a large map in the center.
The Devil seemed rather bored entering in, having to listen to the rates and procedures. He would much rather be doing something else that gets him excited, like planning his wedding to Audrey. He has such great ideas and wanted to get them done, but he was pulled away for a quick tour.
"And if you'd step over here, sir. This is the Gluttony Department." The imp explained. "Our reports have shown an 89% increase in global overeating."
That got his attention. He loved hearing the sound of his wicked prospering around the globe. The terrible grin on his face could not be missed.
"Oh! How delicious!" He sneered. He then turned and squealed "Oh! What's over there?"
He headed over to another station, where an imp was pressing various keys and kept an eye on the sonar screen, but stopped to report to his master.
"Team Famine, sir. Not only is famine on a global upswing, but we've branched out into hunger-induced rage." He explained. "Projected numbers are through the roof!"
"Wonderful! Did you three know about this?" He asked his three demons, nudging them playfully with his elbow.
Before the three could answer, don't know if it was rhetorical, he saw something and gleefully skipped off to it.
It was a large control panel, where two imps were working. It had three large screens, one showing a castle surrounded by thunderstorms, another showing tanks firing and the final one demonstrating a fighter plane dropping bombs.
There was a loud beeping sound, something like with morse code or something, and the imps were putting in small plugs, similar to the ones that were used for a switchboard in the early 1900s.
"So, this is where we do war!" He beamed.
Oh my gosh, that explains sooo much about the wars we went through.
Seriously?! We could have avoided all of the miscommunication, blame and other issues if we found out about this!
"Three new wars are being waged with catastrophic results on both sides." One imp reported.
"We're breaking all previous records, sir." The other piped up.
That put the Devil in a very good mood. While he wanted to get back to planning his wedding, hearing about the growth of his evil and reign of terror was something he enjoyed hearing.
"That is amazing! Oh, I'm impressed with how fantastically I'm running this whole operation." He grinned. "In fact, I think I deserve a celebration!"
With that, he twirled and slammed his pitchfork on the ground and the entire command center changed. The place was now decorated with streamers, balloons, and a large banner that spelled out "Congrats Devil".
The imps were no longer wearing headphones but party hats, even the Devil, Henchman, Bash and Shriek wore them. There was food, sweets and a punch bowl on the rocks and one of the imps was holding a tray of red sparkling punch.
The Devil took a glass and gently tapped his pitchfork on the brim, getting everyone's attention.
"Attention, everyone. We're having our most productive year in a millennia." The Devil declared. "All thanks to my hard work and dedication…"
Now, while it was great to celebrate his 'hard work' some of the imps were really confused. Oh, no. They understood what a party was, they just don't participate in one on a regular basis.
"What's he talking about?" One imp whispered to another.
"I don't know, but we haven't had a break in 3,000 years, so go with it." He replied.
What?! They haven't had a break in 3,000 years?! Sheesh, at least God gave his people a day off from work each week.
"So, let's all raise a glass… to me!" The Devil concluded, as he lifted his glass.
The imps looked at each other, shrugged and then began to applaud. However, the celebration was short lived when a nasal voice called out
"Um... excuse me!"
The imps made a path for another one who approached the Devil.
It was a short, teal-green demon with a large cranium to indicate his smarts. He had pointed ears, a devil's tail, small horns, and eggplant purple eyes.
He wore a large, blue polka-dotted bow tie on his neck, white cuffs on his wrists instead of gloves, and white spats on his feet. He had a pencil behind his ear and carried a large brown book with many small post-its sticking out.
The imps began to murmur to each other, while Henchman, Bash and Shriek groaned. They knew who this was and were not happy to see him. Even the Devil looked annoyed when he saw him.
"Oh, not this guy." They grumbled.
"Um, according to the ledger, there is one outstanding soul in need of collection." The green demon replied.
That got the trio's attention. They tried to signal to him not to say anything, but he didn't seem to notice and proceeded to open the book and show his master what was needed to be collected.
"It is a cup. He played Soul Ball. He was on Roll the Dice." He recalled. "As of today's date, his soul remains uncollected."
The trio didn't know how their master would react, especially since he was like a ticking time bomb, but to their surprise he simply lowered the book down and was about to say something, but the demon interrupted him. "There is also one thing that is missing.
"What else could I be missing?" The Devil asked, annoyed.
"I have heard that you have chosen a human girl to be your bride." He replied. "While that is extraordinary news, there is, however, something you need her to do."
He then held up a small red box. Inside was a golden ring that had a dark red and black gemstone in the center, surrounded by a gold outline.
"Unless you get her consent and wear this, the marriage between you two will be invalid." He explained. "I would suggest you get going on it."
The Devil then gently lowered the box and then replied.
"Thank you, Stickler, our very diligent auditor." Turning to his imps, he sheepishly replied. "But I'm sure it's just a clerical error, everyone."
"Doubtful. As you can-" Stickler started, but the Devil interrupted by stating
"Hey! Let's get that music going!"
And sure enough music started to play, as they started a conga-line while Sticker cried out
"Ahem, excuse me! Excuse me!"
Sadly, they just continued to ignore him. As they should.
Meanwhile, our heroes found themselves in the woods, surrounded by a small sheet of fog. During their travels, Audrey couldn't help but be surprised by how confident Mugman was. Normally he would be nervous going into a spooky area like this. She remembered how scared he was at the graveyard, but this was new.
"Mugman, where are you taking me?" Cuphead finally asked, grasping Audrey's hand a bit tighter.
"You'll see." He simply replied.
He pushed back some branches to reveal a small area. Aside from the many trees, plants and rocks, there was a large stone pillar, and in the center of the area was a small pond surrounded by stones. The water was so clear it was practically glowing, even though there was no moon out tonight.
Both Audrey and Cuphead were in awe. They have never seen anything like this.
They then approached the pond, and Mugman took out a clear bag, containing a large jawbreaker. Audrey arched an eyebrow. What was that needed for?
"Is that my sour fizzy jawbreaker?" Cuphead asked. But his brother simply turned the bag upside down and it fell in, making the water fizz and bubble.
"Hey! Aw, man! I was working on that for months!" Cuphead whined.
"It's ok, sweetie." Audrey calmly assured him. "I'll buy you another one."
"I'm sorry, Cuphead, but I gotta make the water fizz so he'll appear." Mugman explained.
"So, who will appear?" Cups asked, arching an eyebrow.
Just then, a light beam came from the pond, blowing a strong wind as a voice boomed out
"When in doubt, young man of mug, give your brother one last hug."
"What was that?" Cuphead whimpered, feeling his heart race.
"A sage advisor, rumored to know all…" Mugman replied.
Suddenly, a face appeared in the center of the water. It resembled an old, bearded man with a big nose, and white eyes, light blue irises with black pie-cut pupils.
"I am Quadratus, the great and wise!" The man spoke. "Come closer, young ones, so I may advise."
"We come seeking your wisely wisdom." Mugman confidently replied.
"Protection is your mugly goal, for the Devil seeks his cuply soul…" Quadratus recited, revealing a silhouette of the Devil taking Cuphead's soul. That made Cuphead shrink a bit, feeling his body tremble.
Audrey felt bad. She knew the Devil is a huge pain, but seeing Cuphead nervous about him really made her worried. He was still in debt to him after losing at Soul Ball.
Which, to be frank, that's kinda a dumb way to be in debt to him, but eh, that's his deal, not mine.
"But fear not, for there is one way to save his soul and keep the Devil at bay." Quadratus spoke up. Then, the water's reflection changed to an image of a sweater.
Now she was really confused. A sweater was the answer?
"A sweater, knit with invisible fur, from a long-extinct creature, will deter." Quadratus continued. "Uh, basically, the sweater is impenetrable to the Devil, so…"
Cuphead arched an eyebrow. "Uh, you stopped rhymin."
"Eh. It gets old." Quadratus bluntly stated. "If you're wearing it, he cannot collect your soul." The water splashed around for a second, as if he was looking for something, muttering. "Now, where is that...? Ah-ha! Here it is!"
He then created a small water geyser, while holding a small ball-like shape.
"This is the last ball of invisible yarn!" Quadratus announced. "Take it, Mugman!"
Mugman did so and to Audrey's surprise, it looked like he wasn't holding on to anything. When she touched it, she could feel how wet and rough it was, just like an actual ball of yarn.
Quadratus pointed to Mugman and announced. "And you, must knit the sweater."
"Wait, why do I gotta do all the work?" Mugman asked, annoyed.
"The sweater is only effective, if it's made with brotherly love." He replied, revealing a red heart in the water.
"Well, looks like I'm knitting an invisible sweater, then." Mugsy sighed.
Cuphead threw his arms around his brother and cried.
"Gee! Thanks, Mugsy! You're the best brother a cup could ever have!"
"Oh, how sweet." Quadratus sighed. Then he cried out "Now get knitting!"
With that, he vanished from the water, as the beam of light disappeared, leaving the area calm and quiet again. The only noise made was the rustling wind and the gentle breeze.
"Well, this is great, but I need to run home." Mugman finally spoke up. "Elder Kettle has a set of knitting needles, and without them, I can't make the sweater."
"Don't you worry." Audrey piped up. "I can help with that."
Pulling out her sketchbook, she drew and created two knitting needles and handed them to Mugman.
"Wow! That saves time!" He beamed. "Thanks, Miss Audrey."
"No worries. Though, won't it be hard to knit an invisible sweater?" She asked. "Also, how is a sweater supposed to keep the Devil away from Cuphead?"
"I dunno. I guess it's best to find out." Mugman shrugged. "This shouldn't take too long. I'll give it to him once it's made."
Audrey nodded and let Mugman work. Doubt still lingered in her mind. While the task seemed simple, she worried if the sweater would actually work, and not become some running gag throughout the story.
"I just hope this will keep him far, far away from Cuphead." She muttered.
Meanwhile, back in the underworld, the Devil was having a fun time celebrating his hard work, and was chatting and laughing with some imps, along with Bash and Shriek, while others were celebrating too.
A servant came with a tray of deviled eggs and the Devil took notice.
"Oh! Deviled eggs! You know, I invented these." He beamed, as Bash nodded.
He was about to take a bite when he heard Stickler call from the crowd of imps "Excuse me!"
Yeah, he's like the one guy in the office and no one, even the boss, doesn't even like. Trust me when I say this, I know the feeling.
The Devil groaned. "There goes my appetite." He flicked the egg off with his fingers. Then, something caught his attention "Oh, games! Anyone up for a round of darts?"
He took a dark and was aiming, ready to fire when once more, Stickler called out from a pile of balloons.
"Excuse me, please."
The Devil groaned again, throwing the dart forward. However, it hits an imp, as he cries out in pain.
The Devil decided to get something to drink from the punch bowl, thankfully not seeing Stickler around. He poured himself a glass but as he took a sip, Stickler emerged from the drink and was about to start again when the Devil saw him.
He spat out his drink at him and roared while flames arose
"FINE!"
Calming down, and the flames vanishing, he turned to a very stunned crowd and replied
"Attention, everyone. I have a teensy-weensy thing to take care of. Don't stop the party. I'll only be a minute."
He glared at Stickler before teleporting out with his pitchfork, leaving the party guests stunned and confused.
Henchman approached the bowl and groaned "Duh, nice work, Stickler.
"Yeah, way to ruin our fun." Bash added.
"You're the worst." Shriek claimed.
"I will not apologize for doing my job hmmmm..." Stickler bluntly replied.
The imps decided to proceed with the party while their master was away and ignored Stickler the rest of the time.
And honestly, I would too.
Meanwhile, Audrey and Cuphead waited for Mugman to finish, as they heard the needles clicking together. Thankfully, he worked fast, with no distractions of course, and finally stopped.
"There! All finished!" He smiled, holding up the invisible sweater. It was odd for him to have nothing in his hands, but seeing that he was holding on to it, made sense. "Okay, Cuphead. Put it on."
He handed it to his brother, who took a whiff at it, and then pulled it back from his face.
"Ugh! Yuck! It stinks!" He cried.
"You heard Quadratus." Mugman argued. "It's the only thing that'll stop the Devil taking your soul."
"I know it's weird now, but this will help out a lot." Audrey chimed in. "He's a powerful being, even though he often acts like he's five, and won't stop till he gets your soul. This should help."
Cuphead rolled his eyes in annoyance. "All right, alright. I'll put it on."
Once he slipped on the sweater, he felt something rather pleasant. "Oh! I guess it is nice and toasty." He smiled, as he gave himself a hug.
As he continued to admire the sweater, suddenly, Audrey noticed the water glowing again, and Quadratus' voice pop up.
"Audrey? May I have a word with you?" he asked.
"Oh, uh, sure." She replied, looking back at the boys. She knelt down to the pond. "What's going on?"
"I know that you and your loved one are here from another world." He calmly replied. "And you desire to find a way home."
"Yes, that's true." Audrey nodded. "We would like to return home, especially since that demonic five year old is hunting me down. Can you help us?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot get you home myself." He replied. "I am but a mere advisor."
Audrey sighed sadly. So much for a quick trip home.
"However, that doesn't mean there isn't a way back." He added. "There are two people you need, in order to return to your world."
The reflection then changed to silhouettes of two unfamiliar people. One of them was a girl with what seemed to be wings behind her and the other one was a boy, but she couldn't figure out who they were.
"Where am I supposed to find them?" she asked.
"You are not supposed to find them." He claimed. "They are supposed to find you."
"Wait, how-" But before she could finish, he suddenly vanished as there was a loud
*POOF!*
She quickly turned around and saw none other than the Devil. Only to her surprise, he was wearing a red party hat, which was something she didn't see.
The boys, however, freaked out when they saw him.
"Ahh! The Dev-!"
But they didn't finish as the Devil slapped Cuphead's hand back in annoyance.
"Yeah, yeah yeah yeah. I'm here for the soul." He replied in an irritated tone. "Let's make it snappy!"
He reached for Cuphead's chest but before anyone could react-
*ZAP ZAP ZAP!*
A great shock surged through the Devil's body. Audrey was so startled, she fell on her back and scooted away.
Once that was over, the Devil screamed out "YEOWCH!" while waving his hand before sucking on his finger like a child.
Cuphead opened his eyes and saw he was ok. "Hey, it worked!" He beamed.
Also, I had to laugh. The Devil as an exoskeleton. *Snicker, snicker*
"Wow! That was amazing!" Audrey gasped. "Guess we know what it does. Kinda reminds me of the Armor of God…"
Once his finger was healed, The Devil realized something.
"You're wearing an impenetrable, invisible sweater! But how?!"
"Mugman made it for me." Cuphead simply replied, pulling his now nervous brother to him. "It works on account of our brotherly love."
Mugman gave a nervous smile and wave, as the Devil groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Ugh. Of course it does."
"Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way home." Cuphead replied confidently with a worried Mugman trailing behind him.
Ok, things seem to be looking up.
While the Devil was glaring at a now taunting Cuphead, Audrey stood up, dusted herself, and asked "Sooo, who died?"
"What?" He asked, turning to her.
"I can see you're wearing a party hat." Audrey pointed out. "I know you're one who doesn't celebrate life, so I was wondering if someone died."
"Oh, no, no. You see, I was throwing a party for myself." The Devil informed her. "I was celebrating all the hard work and dedication I placed in my whole operation."
"You mean your dedication of standing up from your throne and going to your fridge?" Audrey asked.
He shot a glare at her. "No, I do not do that." Calming down, and having a more seductive tone, he mentioned "The party is still going on. Perhaps you'd like to join me. I have the best food and drinks in the underworld."
"Thanks, but cheating on my husband is against my vows." She simply put. "But, thanks for the offer. I'm going home."
She brushed by him without saying another word and scurried to the boys. Frustrated, he tapped his pitchfork, teleporting.
As the trio proceeded to walk, the Devil appeared before them, making them bump into him, and caused Cuphead to freak out again.
"Ahhh! The Devil!" He cried.
"Cuphead, you're wearing the sweater, remember?" Mugman reminded him.
"Oh, right." He sighed, feeling around and felt the sweater.
Seriously? He forgot after like a minute of wearing the thing? Unbelievable.
"Yeah, about that. Why don't you save us both some time and take it off?" The Devil asked, gesturing Cuphead to hand over the sweater.
"Ya sure ya wanna do that? Might lose a limb or two." Audrey snickered.
"Yeah! Fat chance!" Cuphead snapped.
The Devil groaned. He knew getting it off him was not going to be easy. Cuphead was dumb but he's not that dumb.
He had to come up with a plan, but how?
"Hmm..oh!" A thought came to him.
Opening his palm, he made a ten dollar bill appear from flames. Waving it around with two fingers, he suggested to him in a sing-song tone. "Take it off, and I'll give you ten bucks!"
"Oh, boy! Ten bucks!" Cuphead cheered, and started to take off the sweater.
Audrey was ready to stop him, but Mugman beat her to it.
"No, Cuphead! Your soul's worth more than ten bucks." He mentioned it to his brother.
"Hey, you're right!" Cuphead claimed. Glaring at the Devil, he remarked. "Make it 20."
Audrey gave herself a facepalm. That boy will sell his soul for a jar of nickels.
"You're keeping that sweater on." Mugman informed his brother. Grabbing and jerking his wrist, he announced "Now let's go home."
Audrey nodded and hurried after the boys.
Shortly, the group made their way through the forest when suddenly, they heard faint circus music. As it got louder, they stopped in their tracks.
They came across a large pink circus tent with various images of weird characters, and in front of the tent on a podium was a man, wearing a circular straw hat with a purple band around it, a magenta bow tie, white gloves, a tan under shirt and a maroon suit jacket.
The carney's face had a bushy black mustache, a small red nose and white eyes with black pie-cut pupils.
He called out in a loud confident voice. "Hurry, hurry, hurry! Step right up! See the teapot tentacle lady! Encounter the bearded flamingo! Gawk at the really big squirrel!"
Both brothers gasped and exclaimed in excitement "Big squirrel?!"
"We gotta see how big it is!" Mugman claimed, as the trio headed to the opening of the tent. Audrey wasn't sure how or why a small circus was in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night, but she wanted to keep an eye on them and out of harm's way.
"Right this way, lady and gentle-cups!" He instructed, pointing with his cane to the opening.
Before they could slip in, Mugman noticed a wooden sign in front of them.
"Wait, Cuphead. It says, 'No sweaters allowed.'" He informed his brother.
"Oh, well, off it goes." Cuphead shrugged, and started to take the sweater off, when Mugman stopped him.
"Hold it! Something's fishy about this. And I don't like the look of that carny…" He muttered to Cuphead.
The trio looked out of the corner of their eye and saw that he was watching them, chuckling wickedly and rubbing his hands together.
"Yeah, that basically screams death trap to me." Audrey agreed.
Taking Cuphead's wrist again, Mugman informed the two "Come on. Let's scram."
They headed off once more and that made the carny, or in this case the Devil, furious.
"Well, that didn't work." He grumbled, turning back to his normal self. "Fine, time for plan B."
Elsewhere, the group made their way once more in the woods, when suddenly a delightful scent filled their noses.
"Something smells delicious!" Mugman beamed.
They looked and to their surprise, there was a metal hot dog cart with a wooden sign that read 'Free Hot Dogs'
"Oh, boy! Free hot dogs!" Cuphead squealed as he rushed over. He grabbed himself a hot dog, placed it on a fluffy bun, sprayed condiments on it and was about to take a bite…when his brother stole it from him.
"Hold on, Cuphead. Look!" Mugman informed him, shaking off the condiments of the hot dog.
To their surprise, there was small writing on the food, reminding Audrey of the small print she's seen on products, items and contracts.
Mugman read aloud; "One bite of this free hot dog may unleash a plague of sweater-eating demon moths"? Ok, something weird is going on!"
He then threw the hot dog on the ground and stomped on it, before dragging his brother away once more "Come on!"
As Audrey followed them, she began having that strange feeling too. It wasn't a mere coincidence that they ran into a circus and a hot dog stand, targeting his sweater.
"And I have a funny idea who's after him." She muttered, as they walked further. As they were out of sight, the hot dog cart turned into the Devil, who once more growled in frustration.
As the trio walked further, suddenly, they went past a familiar pond.
"Ok, wait, I thought this was in a different spot." Audrey recalled. "What the heck is going on?"
Before Mugman could answer, Quadratus spoke up "I know I said wear a sweater, but take it off, and that's much better."
"You're the boss." Cuphead nodded. He proceeded to take off the sweater when something caught Mugman's and Audrey's attention. Quadratus looked and sounded the same, but they noticed that he had horns, his pupils were red, not black, and his eyes were yellow, not white.
"Hey! Quadratus doesn't have horns. That's the Devil in disguise!" Mugman announced. "He's been trying to get your sweater off this whole time! Let's go!"
He pushed his brother away, while blowing a raspberry at him.
"I know Steve and Sasha told me the Devil was crafty and can tempt Christians, but this is a new low for him!" Audrey muttered.
They hurried away as the Devil transformed again, getting more angry.
The trio began to run through the woods and thankfully saw the exit.
"Look! We're almost out of the woods!" Mugman panted.
They were just about to leave when-
*POOF!*
The Devil appeared in front of them, blocking their path and making them come to a screeching halt.
"No, you're not!" He shouted. Poking Cuphead's nose with the end of his pitchfork, he demanded. "Now take off that sweater!"
"It's not happening, Devil. Just give up already!" Mugman argued.
"Yeah! You should try transforming into someone who doesn't fail all the time." Cuphead cooly stated, flicking the pitchfork away.
Ohhhhh! Buuuuuurn!
That caused the three of them to laugh as Audrey pointed out "Dude! You just got roasted by a ten year old!"
The cups thought that was funny.
The Devil did not.
So much so, he burst into flames. While the heat wasn't very tense, it was starting to make our heroes sweat a bit. They fanned themselves trying to keep cool.
"Whew! So hot…" Cuphead sighed, tugging a bit at his sweater collar. Even Audrey had to tug at her hoodie a bit, feeling sweat roll down the side of her head.
The Devil saw the three become overheated, and he got an idea. It was so evil, that he gave a demonic chuckle.
Taking a deep breath, he made more fire, making the temperature rise even more and making our heroes sweat more.
"Oh! I'm cooking in here." Cuphead gasped, pulling his collar out more. "I gotta take this thing off."
"No! Keep it on!" Mugman shouted.
"Cuphead! Don't take it off!" Audrey shouted, feeling weaker by the second as she collapsed on her knees.
"I can't! I can't take it!" Cuphead groaned. He grabbed the hem of the sweater and proceeded to lift it, ready to remove it from himself.
Mugman began to panic. With Cuphead ready to take it off and Audrey feeling weak, he was the only one who could help. But what could he do? His brother won't listen to him.
Just then, he remembered what Quadratus told him when they first met.
"When in doubt, young man of mug…"
"Give your brother one last hug!" Turning to Audrey, he shouted "Miss Audrey! Hurry! Follow my lead!"
Audrey, despite being in a weakened state, nodded, and stood up, her knees shaking.
Then, they both jumped and hugged Cuphead tight, preventing him from taking the sweater off.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Cuphead groaned.
"We're protecting you!" Audrey cried. "We won't let him hurt you, no matter what!"
The Devil became enraged and created more fire, attempting to launch at the trio. Cuphead screamed and squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the worse. However, they didn't know that an invisible ten-foot-diameter sphere surrounded and protected them, making the flames miss them.
They then swirled around faster and faster before
*KABOOM!*
A loud explosion hit, shaking the area and smoke surrounded the area.
When the flames and smoke began to subside, various areas scorched and a huge crater was in the center. The Devil waited with delight to see if his victims, Cuphead and Mugman to be precise, were destroyed.
However, when he saw the trio, he saw that they were perfectly fine, still holding on to each other and the spot they were on was still in tack. When they opened their eyes, they were stunned by the destruction of the forest.
The now dumbfounded Devil looks at them with complete shock…before he began to scream in a rage, causing him to uncontrollably morph into a bunch of creatures;
his serpent form, a bull that spits fire from his nostrils, a draconic monster that resembles the Reaper Bird monster from Undertale, and then an octopus-like monster.
As he proceeded with his temper tantrum, the heroes looked at him and then each other in shock.
"Uh, we should go." Cuphead finally spoke up
"Yeah. Let's." Mugman agreed.
"Lead the way, boys." Audrey claimed.
The trio quickly fled the forest, as the Devil's body degenerates into a black mass out of which several heads sprout out before they get pulled back in.
Eventually, the Devil manages to bring his shapeshifting powers back under his control and morphed back to his normal form and finished his temper tantrum, groaning.
"I hate those cups…" He grumbled.
Grabbing his pitchfork, he tapped it on the ground and teleported back to the underworld. The party was still going on, as the imps chatted with one another, but stopped when they saw their master return, with surprisingly, a happy look on his face.
"Well, I got him!" He announced, as he headed over to a table examining his claws."Old Scratch did it again. Where's that cake?"
He snapped his fingers and an imp brought over a large chocolate cake, decorated with white melted skulls on top.
Like Audrey said, not a guy who celebrates life.
As he took the knife and cutted into the cake, he heard Stickler behind him.
"Um... Where is the soul and the girl that have been retrieved?" He asked.
Thinking quickly, the Devil answered, "I, put it in the soul vault. With the others. And my bride is, uh, making preparations to leave so we can begin moving her in here. Could take a while."
"You mean you didn't register it? We have a tracking system in place." Stickler reminded him, holding up the book. "Every soul must be officially accounted-"
*WHOOSH!*
The Devil shot fire from his pitchfork, making a huge hole in the book.
Oh and I should let you know; that wasn't his original target.
"...For." Stickler concluded.
As he examined the book, the Devil replied. "Oops. I guess the auditor will have to do a full recount."
"But I'm, the auditor…" Stickler claimed, suddenly getting a horrible feeling in his stomach.
"Oh, that's right." The Devil smirked, turning and pushing him away. "Well, don't let us keep you. Bye!"
Stickler then retreated from the party, hanging his head very low, and groaned in sadness. The Devil could care less and decided to have some fun for the remainder of the party.
While he was mad he didn't get Audrey or Cuphead's soul, he at least got some time to come up with another plan.
"Who still needs cake, huh?" He gleefully asked his party guests. Upon hearing that, Bash and Shriek rushed up, shoving each other for a slice.
Well, at least he can tolerate that.
Meanwhile, the group finally made it home safe and sound, with a new sweater intact.
They slipped back into their pajamas, and Audrey tucked them into bed, now happy to see a peaceful smile on Cuphead's face.
"You look more chipper than you did before." She claimed. "Guess we can put all worries aside and finally get some sleep."
"Yeah you said it." Cuphead smiled. "Finally. I can get a good night's rest. Nothing is better than Mugman making me a sweater."
"I'd make a sweater for no other, than my dearest sweet, sweet brother." he giggled as he hung upside down from his bunk.
Audrey giggled and replied. "Alright, alright, time for some sleep. We have a new day ahead of us."
She gave them both a kiss on the forehead and started heading out the door when Cuphead piped up "You know, there's one thing that is certain."
"What's that, honey?" Audrey asked.
"Quadratus was right. Rhyming gets old." He stated.
Audrey giggled and replied "Well, that is true. Good night, Cuphead."
"Night, and thanks again." He smiled, yawning a bit.
"Of course." She beamed. She then closed the door quietly and headed down the hallway and back to the guest room. She crept in and saw Josh still snoozing, snoring loudly.
She playfully rolled her eyes, took off her bathrobe and slipped under the covers. As she drifted off to sleep, she was happy to have something to protect Cuphead and to keep the Devil off their backs for a bit.
"One thing is certain, he's not one to give up, on Cuphead's soul or me." She thought. "We just have to keep him away long enough for us to find our way home. But I do have to admit, it was pretty funny when he got electrocuted. Wonder if this will turn into a running gag."
And it did.
I cannot express how much I loved this episode. It's seriously one of my favorites and no matter how many times I watch it, it still makes me laugh. Well, looks like the gang found something to keep the Devil away. He 'sweater' give up now! Anyway, stay "toon" for the next episode. It's another fave!
Anyway, thanks so much for reading!